


Amy Santiago + Halloween

by marvelthesun



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Amy hates Halloween with an undying passion, Gen, Halloween, Or at least she always had, Over the course of all 5 (current) seasons, The Heist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-08 18:43:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16434773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvelthesun/pseuds/marvelthesun
Summary: Amy Santiago has a complicated history with Halloween, to say the least. She's never understood why anyone would enjoy this trash holiday. An innocent bet between her CO and her partner won't change that. Right?(Or, Amy's inner monologue re: Halloween as seen in each of the Halloween episodes so far)





	1. Halloween

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this after HalloVeen aired and just couldn't stop thinking about it. I really enjoyed seeing Amy's evolving feelings for Halloween (and Jake, haha). Plus, with Halloween right around the corner, why not share this with all of you?
> 
> Happy Halloween, you jags!

Amy had always hated Halloween. When she was younger, she’d always chosen to dress up like strong and powerful women. But none of the kids had ever understood her costumes and she was inevitably teased about them. Then, in high school when people started going to parties instead of begging strangers for candy (had no one ever heard of stranger danger?), she never felt comfortable with all of the underage drinking and short, sexy costumes girls her age wore. And she could never could get behind the vandalism. Why would you waste food and toilet paper? Did people know how difficult they were to clean up? The residents of the vandalized home were likely to still be finding remnants of the “prank” in the middle of April. No one needed that.

After she became a cop, Amy’s feelings about Halloween bringing the worst in people were only solidified. Halloween was like Christmas for jerks. The costumes women wore only seemed to get shorter and “sexier” as time went on. No one cared about the open container laws, or any laws, it seemed. Everyone seemed to use Halloween as an excuse to get drunk, wear masks, and have fake guns. It just made her job infinitely harder.

This Halloween, Amy just wants to impress her new captain and convince him to become her rabbi. But she couldn’t help but groan at being assigned to the large Halloween party with _Boyle_ of all people. Of all of the 99, Charles was the worst person to be around on Halloween. He always chose terrible costumes and actually thought this trash holiday was fun. Although he promises Amy that he’s going to change her opinion, she has serious doubts about that. He can’t make people kind, sober, and fully dressed. (She pointedly ignores Peralta’s inappropriate quip when she says as much.)

The residents of Brooklyn seem intent on proving Amy right. First when she gets egged and pieces of shell end up in her contacts, hair, and bra. (How could Peralta think that was hot? Eggshell in her bra is not hot) And then later, when they bust the people exchanging drugs at the warehouse party and she ends up coated in heavens-knows-what (How is it hot AND cold at the same time?! And everything is so sticky!) Amy thought it couldn’t get worse than a stiff, vomit-covered skeleton costume, but she was clearly wrong. At least she’s fully dressed.

So she feels only mildly guilty when she pays Hitchcock to put on the skeleton costume after she runs into him on her way to log the drugs. But she’s relieved to not have to go out into the streets of Brooklyn the rest of her shift. The guilt comes back quickly, however, when Charles confronts her. She feels even worse when he explains he just wanted them to have a “friendship forged in the crucible of Halloween adversity.” She almost calls out after Charles to apologize but doesn’t know what to say. (What is she supposed to do with a cheap red wig anyway?)

At least she has the bet Peralta and Captain Holt wagered to distract her. The highlight of her night had been earlier when she and the rest of the squad had teased Jake about being two steps behind Holt the whole night. Especially glorious because Holt had just roasted him. Leave it to Jake to use his humiliation to recruit everyone to help him win the bet (after doing a _really, truly, terrible_ and unsuccessful impression of Braveheart.)

And though she still wants to impress Captain Holt and have him be her rabbi, Amy also really doesn’t want to worry about doing paperwork after the night she’s had. She’s proud of her acting skills getting the captain to believe Peralta had actually been arrested. (She also has to admit she felt like a badass from a spy movie when Terry lowered her into Captain Holt’s office earlier.)

Soon, the bet, and their shift, ends and the squad is about to head down to Shaw’s for a drink. But Amy still feels bad for being a jerk to Boyle, who just wanted to share something that made him happy and be Amy’s friend. So, she rounds up the squad and convinces them to dress up and surprise Boyle in their costumes before heading out. She has to admit to herself that it was kind of fun to become a caution tape mummy. And it’s definitely worth it when she sees Charles’ reaction and he forgives her.

Maybe, she thinks as she goes to bed later that night, this isn’t such a trash holiday after all.


	2. Halloween II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy still hates Halloween. Although, maybe a little less than before

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was less Amy content in the season 2 Halloween ep, so this chapter is shorter than yesterday's, but tomorrow's should make up for it.
> 
> Enjoy chapter 2!

The next year, Amy still hates Halloween and all the drunk idiots it brings out. However, the memory of being a jerk to Charles by being a bad sport the year before makes her be less vocal about it. That doesn’t stop her from laughing when the squad makes fun of his costume choices though. 

The squad has grown closer since Captain Holt arrived, and Amy isn’t exactly _dreading_ working today. Especially now Peralta is back from his stint undercover and the precinct feels like it’s back to normal. Mostly. Amy’s trying not to think about Jake’s time undercover and any confessions he felt he had to give right now.

This year, thankfully, she’s not on warehouse party duty. But she does gets put on Halloween basket duty with the Sergeant and Rosa. Although she’s glad she’ll be indoors, she’s not looking forward to making 400 baskets for kids that will probably just show up because their parents dragged them out and think everything is lame. She’s even more annoyed when Gina gets out of it with a very vague explanation. Gina always seems to get everything she wants and she doesn’t understand why the Sarge and Captain Holt go along with it.

On the other hand, at least there’s the Holt-Peralta bet to break the monotony. She loves the code name Jake gives her, Hall Monitor, even if she thinks it’s a completely terrible idea to get a criminal to help him. He has to realize it’ll backfire spectacularly. She would have thought so even if she didn’t already know Fingers was working for Captain Holt.

Unbeknownst to Jake, Captain Holt had called the squad in for a meeting earlier in the week when he and Charles out on a case. Captain Holt trusted that the squad would agree to double cross Jake for the chance to humiliate him. (Except for Charles who could not be trusted to keep a secret from Jake to save his life and definitely would never betray him willingly.) It takes everything in her to not break out into giggles when Jake thinks his plan worked. She has to be satisfied with sharing a conspiratorial grin with Rosa instead.

Captain Holt's recruitment for his plan has a double benefit for Amy. First, helping embarrass Jake was the perfect opportunity to get him back for all the “Title-of-your-sex-tape” jokes she'd had to put up with over the last year. The second was the distraction from the other terrible parts of the holiday she hated.

She definitely wasn’t doing it to quash blossoming and confusing feelings, especially after his undercover stint. And she definitely was _not_ thinking about how maybe, possibly, (or  _impossibly_ given she’s still dating Teddy) they could be the title of  _their_ sex tape jokes one day. Nope. She’s just going to drive this tow truck away from her feelings, thanks.

She records Jake’s reaction and completely chooses to ignore when Jake says he’s turned on by them embarrassing him. And later she enjoys seeing Gina and Terry dance that night, now that the truth about Gina going back to school is out.

She has to admit, there surrounded by the happy squad, that this is one of the better Halloweens she can remember, all things considered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the first three episodes fully written out, and the skeleton of the last two. The plan is an episode a day until Halloween. 
> 
> I hope you're enjoying this and thanks for checking out my work!


	3. Halloween III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a really stressful year full of uncertainty, Amy wasn't even sure The Heist was going to even happen. So when Halloween rolls around and the bet is back on, she has to admit she might actually be looking forward to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, this chapter is longer. I really love season 3's Halloween episode because it gives Amy so much room to grow and establish herself as her own person.

This year, Amy is actually kind of looking forward to Halloween and the Holt-Peralta bet. Especially after everything had been up in the air until a few weeks ago. She’d stressed smoked more than ever before not knowing if everything was going to work out with the squad, much less with the bet.

First, of course, Captain Holt was sent to Public Relations and Amy didn’t know how to deal with the loss of her mentor. Then, there was the “for realz” kiss she and Jake shared that had finally made her confront the feelings she’d been avoiding. Unfortunately, that had meant they’d accidentally killed their new Captain, who had been replaced with the Vulture. And being the Vulture, he couldn't stand anyone being happy and had threatened to demote Jake if they didn’t break up. Jake had been very sweet and determined throughout the whole thing, which was very reassuring for their blossoming their relationship.

But she’d still never been more frustrated than when they tried to ask Captain Holt for help. He didn’t seem interested in helping fight back against the Vulture or about them at all. It had been very demoralizing until he and Jake had teamed up to solve the Oolong Slayer case and gotten Captain Holt reinstated. Now everything was at it should be.

She knew Jake and the Captain had talked about the Heist to agree on the terms and conditions, but Jake had refused to tell her what this year’s bet would be. Knowing Jake’s theatrics, it doesn’t bother her very much. Amy knows that it's only a matter of time until he or Captain Holt recruited her.

But then her faith in people takes a beating and she remembers everything she hates about this trash holiday. The Heist has brought out the worst in the most important men in her daily life just like Halloween brings out the worst in everyone. She doesn’t get picked to play on either team, even though she’s intelligent and proven to be a great team member over the last two years. She’d helped them both carry out the plans flawlessly. And now she’s not even allowed to play?

She tries to talk to Jake honestly and in private about her feelings, but he ends up yelling at her boobs and she feels even worse than before. (And then the horrid cherry on the top is having Hitchcock and Scully try to get her to play whatever weird scheme they've concocted)

Even though she thought things with Jake had been going well up until then, and she was sure she’d gained the respect of Captain Holt, it had all gone out the window for a stupid crown. A prop crown at that! They’re unable to see her as anything besides Jake’s girlfriend or Holt’s admirer. They don’t see her as what she is: her own woman, and a damn good detective!

So, Amy gets Mad ™ and channels it towards sweet, sweet revenge. If everyone else gets to be a terrible person today, why doesn't she? She suddenly remembers the way Holt flinched when Jake set off the witch and realizes he must’ve planted a bug to spy on Jake. This plants the seed for her plan.

Though she’s not interested Hitchcock and Scully’s plan to have their own weird heist, she uses it to her advantage. After tapping into the frequency of the bug she finds at Jake’s desk, which she finds easily in an old muffin, (seriously, Jake, how can you work like this?) she gets Hitchcock to follow her into Holt’s office and part the blinds. Now, she can easily read the Captain and Terry’s lips.

But she also decides to give Holt one last chance (even though she imagined it would go similarly to her conversation with Jake). When he yells at her boobs, any trace of guilt or doubt she might have felt evaporates, fueling her with the adrenaline and rage she needs to pull off the heist.

After she finds out about the Captain’s plan to get the crown back, she gets Scully to move the witch into the break room. From there, it’s a waiting game until Sharon arrives with Cagney and Lacey so Captain Holt can steal the crown back. In his adrenaline-infused mirth over one-upping Jake, Holt doesn’t even notice the witch and sets her off. Like clockwork, Jake goes into the break room to investigate, and Holt has to throw it into the trash can, just as Amy planned. That he ends up drinking soda to keep his cover is a bonus that makes her giggle at her desk where she’s slyly watching.

When she’s sure the coast is clear, Amy dons the Al the Janitor costume and grabs the crown, making sure to hide her face from the security cameras, but allowing the name tag to be visible. Then she puts the crown into her bag and gets back into her work outfit. She knows it’s only a matter of time before Jake and Holt look over the security footage and realize she has the intel they think they need so she goes somewhere conspicuous and makes a show of packing up to leave. Those fools.

Though she knows that they’ll both come to find her for the address (seriously, why wouldn’t you try to be friends with everyone in the precinct? Everyone is important for the precinct to function!) since that _is_ her plan, she doesn’t have to pretend to act hurt when they do come for the address. It’s insulting and offensive at how they both play at her to get the address. Both Jake and Holt think that by complimenting her, she’ll just forget all the other things they said. If she wasn’t already enacting her revenge, she might be tempted to go home to put on sweats and eat a pint of ice cream while watching Lethal Weapon. (She and Jake are going to have a real conversation about today after the heist is over. She really enjoys being with him, but she doesn’t enjoy being seen as someone’s lackey, incapable of independent thoughts and actions. She’s her own person, dammit, and he needs to understand that.) But right now, she has to carry out the rest of her plan.

Earlier, during her lunch break, Amy had called a friend who lived relatively close to the precinct and convinced her to let Amy borrow her roof (it would be too much of a giveaway if she used her own address and too much of an imposition to borrow her apartment. There is the added bonus that this building is 31 stories tall, which gives Amy the idea for a sign.) After dropping the crown off at Shaw’s, she goes to her friend’s place to change and confirm the game plan. She places the sign on the elevator to torture the squad, especially Jake and Holt, but also to give herself some breathing room, and then she goes to the roof for a smoke to release all of the emotions she’d been feeling. Knowing she has time lets her relax and plan what she’ll say when she pulls off the reveal and get her game face on. It’s only a matter of time before she hears Jake huffing and whining about the roof being so far away.

She relishes in seeing Holt’s and Jake’s faces when she reveals everything and feels somewhat smug about the fact that Jake cops up to vomiting. (How is he so out of shape? They’re detectives!) Now that they’ve been sufficiently humiliated and chastised, and Rosa is giving her an impressed look of approval, it’s time for her coronation ceremony.

She has to admit to herself at Shaw’s, though she felt like crap at the beginning of the day, now she feels every bit like an amazing detective/genius. This Halloween thing might just be growing on her.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!


	4. Halloween IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halloween 4! As defending champion, Amy is sure she has this title in the bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not going to lie, the first draft of this chapter was super dry.
> 
> But then, probably inspired by the fact I'm going to be Rosa tomorrow, I was suddenly able to dive into Amy and Rosa's friendship. I love seeing them together, two badass Latina women just being themselves. I really like to think they were each other's best support system through the Figgis ordeal.

This Halloween, Amy has Jake and Holt’s respect and admiration, as well as the rest of the 99′s. Just like last year, she’s relieved the Heist is even happening.

If she thought the year before had been stressful, it had been nothing compared to the agony of having Jake and Captain Holt stuck down in Florida for 6 months. The uncertainty of not knowing where Figgis was or what he was up to was incredibly frustrating and at times even devastating. At least she and Rosa had been able to comfort each other and bond over their significant others being far away. (Even if Amy sometimes secretly felt bitter at Pimento for being the reason Jake and Captain Holt were far away. These feelings usually passed quickly, but the burning guilt Amy felt after didn’t fade quite as quickly).

When the squad _had_ finally reunited, she’d had to shoot Jake in the leg after not being in sync for their reunion. Though they were back in sync now, there were times when Jake and Amy were still navigating being together again. Being in each other’s presence was hard sometimes, but never in a way that made them question being together.

But today is Halloween, so Amy’s not trying to think of that today. She is a Champion, so she stands on equal footing with Jake, and even Captain Holt. Although they really should’ve coordinated their entrance and announcement of the Heist, Amy is rearing to go. (Where had Captain Holt hired a marching band? So cool!)

She playfully rolls her eyes at Jake’s declaration that she’d only won because no one knew she was playing. While true, she wouldn’t have resorted to that if only Jake and Captain Holt had been kinder. She certainly didn’t regret winning. And then Jake, unlike last year, immediately tells her he loves her, and her heart melts a little. (A nice side effect to being without contact for 6 months, Jake is a lot more vocal about his feelings without shame).

Amy was happy to engage in friendly competition, especially when it brought out Captain Holt’s passionate side. She definitely wasn’t expecting him to threaten to slit her and Jake open, but she’d seen the levels of ridiculousness that the Captain and Jake could reach for their pride.

Case in point: when had Jake grabbed her caboodle? And where did he place her things? (His thinking he’s cuter than a young Al Gore makes her share a giggle with the captain though.)

She has never felt closer to Rosa than tonight and she’s so excited when Rosa accepts her plans wholeheartedly. She didn’t even have to pretend to listen to Rosa’s ideas, or convince her to go with her really elaborate (others _might_ say nerdy) plans like she would normally have to. And it shows in the stupid grin she can’t get off her face. Rosa knew her so well, asking about the binder and the 3D model of the precinct. There was no way they were going to lose. Amy’s plans were foolproof, and Rosa was a badass that would let nothing stand in her way. While she waited for the others to make a move, she and Rosa took turns keeping a lookout while the other prepared a plan.

Despite all her preparation, though, Amy fails to notice the door handles had been changed. How did she not realize the door handles had been changed? So, she has no choice but to watch in frustration while Gina steals the plaque, then in horror when Gina immediately face plants into the column. Thankfully, though, Gina doesn’t seem to be too badly hurt and doesn’t insist to be the center of attention. (In hindsight, Amy realizes later when looking back at this night, this should have been the point where she realized something was up.)

With the bet reset and attempt #2 underway, Rosa continues to delight Amy. Though she hadn’t doubted that Rosa was totally with her, she hadn’t quite dared to dream that Rosa would actually use the codenames she’d picked for the squad. Or do the supplemental reading. I mean, The Babysitters’ Club was a _great_ series, and there were points relevant to the plan, but Amy had mostly used it as an excuse to pull out her books again. Getting called Mary Anne is just the cherry on top.

Then it’s time for them to be following the plan and the pizza gimmick goes spectacularly. Amy had done a good job of not being super obvious and Rosa had gotten in and out like a ninja. They had stashed the plaque with her cigarette stash, and Rosa had lovingly chastised her. Amy knew that she was right, that smoking was bad. And, to be fair, Amy _had_ tried to quit in the past. Then the whole thing with Pimento and Figgis had gone down and her life had gone into a tailspin. She didn’t know how Rosa coped with it sometimes. Then again, Rosa never seemed to be truly phased by anything. Well, apart from Pimento’s long absence even after Figgis was arrested. But that was a momentary lapse for Rosa, whereas Amy was constantly a ball of anxious nerves. She wasn’t lying when she said she was a work in progress.

After a few hours, Amy finds herself bringing out the plaque to gloat, only to find she had been outsmarted by Gina Linetti, of all people. If she’s being honest, Amy feels mad at herself for always underestimating Gina. If she had learned nothing else, it was to never count on what she had up her sleeve. Ditching work for dance? Nope, going back to school. Not taking interviews seriously? Just a way to simulate everyday scenarios.

So, Amy admits she is actually pretty impressed at how Gina pulled everything off. And by being able to keep her fake teeth a secret for so long. It’s fascinating in a very disgusting sort of way.

All Amy knows is, next year, that title is hers.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Final chapter will be up tomorrow!! It's my favorite episode!!!


	5. HalLOVEen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Halloween 2017 and Amy is ready to reclaim her title as champion. 
> 
> She has a realization at the end of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this obviously didn't end up posted on Halloween. Sorry about that. But it's finally here! 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this as much as I did. Any excuse to rewatch this episode is well-received. This is the longest chapter, at exactly 1800 words.
> 
> Obviously, spoilers for HalloVeen. And this chapter actually contains dialogue!

Last year, despite having a kick-ass partner, (and a carefully planned digital binder that was followed to the last comma, dammit!) Amy had found herself outsmarted by Gina Linetti, who knew how to get people to underestimate her abilities when it benefitted her.

Now Halloween is here again, and Amy is so caught up with excitement planning for The Heist that her dislike for Halloween only feels halfhearted. After all, the competition draws out the best in her, gets her adrenaline racing, her heart pumping, and sharpens her detective skills. Best of all, she has her fiercest competitor back, her biggest motivator, Jake.

The eight long and seemingly never-ending weeks she feared would turn into 15 years, had been very tough on Amy. At least when he was in WitSec in Florida, Amy knew he’d be relatively safe. She hadn’t been dating Jake when he worked undercover for the FBI and had known the operation would be dangerous. But even then, he would have the backup of FBI agents who wouldn’t have risked losing him, if possible. Prison was a very different beast. Amy knew what prisoners might do to him, that Hawkins might have a vested interest in ensuring Jake and Rosa never leave prison. The few visitation days were not enough, and the phone calls often left her more worried than relieved.

But that’s over now. Amy has Jake back. He and Rosa were exonerated with the evidence Captain Holt managed to find. It had been a struggle for Jake to readjust to life outside of prison and fully come back to the precinct, but he was doing a lot better. So, the game is back on.

The last few months had served to reinforce the love and appreciation that Jake and Amy had for each other. They didn’t want to be without each other if either could help it. That level of intimacy and affection meant that as Amy planned for the Heist, she felt she could up the ante and give some of the insults that Jake had thrown at her over the last two years without doing too much damage.

As a response to Jake’s loving jabs and Captain Holt’s snark that always made a sharp presence during the Heist, Amy feels she can join in. Jake is pretty obvious about his plans, secrecy and stealth never really being his strong suits. It gives her the idea to call him boring and psych him out cannot possibly surprise her. And she actually believes it. (Not the part about Jake being boring because, let’s face it, life is never boring around Jake Peralta.) But she knows him. There’s a predictability to his antics. She knows when he’s going to make a pun, or a reference, or geek out over Die Hard. And she’s a damn good detective (and girlfriend).

There’s nothing wrong with predictability. Amy finds comfort and safety in the well-known and there’s nothing better known to her than Jake.

She knows that she can stay one step ahead of Jake. After all, she’d been planning this title win since last Halloween, when she gave Charles the idea for The Tramps. She knew Charles would always be roped into being a part of Jake’s scheme. But she knew that sometimes Charles also hungered for recognition. She wasn’t entirely sure at first what Jake and Charles might have planned, and for a minute there actually bought that Gina had found a way to participate. But Amy needed to know what the full plan was, so she went along with the ruse.

Jake’s alliance with Charles and his double would collapse at any moment, since Charles was going to turn around and betray Jake for the sake of his alliance with The Tramps. Amy gave it a minute, pretending to build the kit she’d picked up behind Gina’s desk. When she saw Rosa and Terry head off separately in the same direction Jake and Charles had gone, she knew that the betrayal had taken place. She casually walked by a moment later, checking her watch. Everything was running smoothly. Amy had figured out most of everyone’s plans, so it was only a matter of biding her time before she made a move. Tonight was all about the long game.

But she couldn’t resist gloating first. Especially when Jake called out to her. She had to give it to Charles, handcuffing Jake to the file drawers was a good way to keep him out of the loop and make sure he couldn’t interfere. Seeing fake Charles confirmed that he must have been the one to grab the plaque and impersonate Gina. Seeing Jake’s face fall when she revealed she knew all the intel he had to offer was icing on the cake. A few more jabs, paired with reassurances that she treasured him and their relationship, and Amy was in the clear. She and Jake were going to explore that mean talk later, maybe tonight after The Heist was over.

If she wasn’t an amazing detective, then how else would she have figured out Captain Holt’s ploy with Cheddar? She bribed Hitchcock and Scully with a box of donuts to go into the Captain’s office, distract him and report back on what they saw. Thanks to the intel, she knew that he was making a move to get the belt. Finding and intercepting Cheddar wasn’t difficult after that. She had borrowed the substitute corgi from a robbery victim whose family heirloom she’d recovered. The victim had been so grateful that she had told Amy that if she ever needed anything, she could count on her. Thanks to the marvels of modern medicine, she managed to make sure she didn’t set off her allergies too badly. She only sneezed three times after handling the dogs.

Cheddar was safe in a dog carrier that Amy could unlock remotely to limit her interaction with him and she knew Captain Holt would keep the other dog safe until the end of the night. She’d gotten Cheddar to give her the belt with a spoonful of peanut butter and places the belt on a remote-control car she borrowed from a niece the last time she babysat.

She hadn’t counted on Jake getting out of the cuffs and making a move on her safe, but she isn’t fooled by the “Handmaid’s Tale” ruse Jake pulls. She recognized his gait and outline. Although it takes her a bit longer to figure out how he got the belt, and where he placed it.

She knows that Jake would want to make sure it never left the building and storing it in the evidence room makes the most sense. Everyone else is on a wild goose chase, but she, she’s going to take the belt and reclaim her title as champion. It takes very little effort to figure out what box the belt/cummerbund is in. Jake doesn’t even make an attempt to stop her, which should have been a red flag. At the time, she took it as an indication of his acknowledgment of her superiority.

She holds the belt triumphantly, a smile wide on her face. But then Jake is telling her to read the inscription, and she panics, thinking he’s changed it at the last minute to humiliate her. But she reads the inscription and her mind can’t comprehend what’s happening.

She turns to Jake only to find that he’s down on one knee, holding a small square box with an engagement ring inside.

“Surprise,” he says, leaving her breathless, before launching into the most romantic speech. She is so confused and can’t process what is happening.

“I’m so confused, I don’t know what’s happening right now."

Jake, of course, takes the opportunity to make a title-of-your-sex-tape joke. It’s one of the better ones, she has to admit later. Amy counters with one right back.

“Oh my God, I’m shaking, I’m definitely going to cry.” Suddenly Amy has a flashback to two years ago, when Jake started to fake propose to get intel from her. She swears if he did this for the heist, if this is just a ploy to distract her, then she will dump him, for realz.

But Jake is laughing reassuredly, “No please, Ames, look, it’s really happening, okay? It’s not part of the heist. I promise, this is real.”

“It is?” Amy still has to ask, not daring to believe it. This silly man who had been her whole world for over two years, who had trouble expressing his emotions for so long and had fought her over replacing a mattress was really doing this. Was really committing to her, and her neuroses and quirks.

“Yeah,” he reassures her once more and launches with a smile and a deep breath, “Okay, here it goes. Ames, I love you. I love how smart you are. I love how beautiful you are. I love your face, and I love your butt. I should’ve written this down first,” he says with a grimace.

She can feel the tears of joy forming and encourages him to go on. She wouldn’t have this proposal go any other way.

“No, no, it’s okay. Go on.”

“I love how much you pretend to like ‘Die Hard’”

“I like the second one,” she says, trying to be kind.

“You don’t have to. You’re kind, and you’re funny, and you’re the best person I know, and,” he sighs, admitting despite his ego, “the best detective. Also, for reals, I love your butt.”

“I love yours too,” says Amy, and she does. She loves every part of this man, who is kind and thoughtful and loving.

“Gross,” he says and she giggles. Finally, it’s time to ask the big question.

“Amy Santiago… will you marry me?”

“Jake Peralta, I will marry you.”

And Amy is crying, because Jake Peralta could, in fact, surprise her.

She tells him how much she loves him, and they kiss. It’s fitting, given how much Charles has been championing them that he be the first to find out. He faints from the excitement and they have to revive him and check for bumps before heading down to Shaw’s.

That night, at Shaw’s, surrounded by the family she’s chosen for herself, calling the Captain a jag, Amy feels warm and content. She loves these people, loves Jake Peralta. The way he describes the call to her dad is perfect. This relationship, this marriage will be an equal partnership. He loves her for all that she is. She cannot wait to continue building a life with him.

And Amy realizes something she’d already known deep down in her subconscious. But now is the first time she was consciously aware of it.

The night’s true realization is that because of the 99, Amy Santiago, in fact, _loves_ Halloween.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to Hulu for letting me watch the episode on demand whenever. 
> 
> Thank you for reading this work of love. I truly enjoyed writing it and getting into Amy's headspace and I hope you feel I did her justice.


End file.
